Starting Projects at the Speed of Light: The CartoDB Generator

Using CartoDB.js and the CartoDB Platform, you get the best of both worlds: powerful GIS technologies with no setup required combined with the complete freedom provided by the HTML5 stack.

It’s so addictive in fact, that at some point you’ll be building a ton of interactive maps without even realizing it. And inevitably, you will end up doing a few repetitive tasks every time: creating boilerplate files, importing JavaScript libraries, setting up a local web server, etc…

Yeoman allows front-end developers to start new projects with a scaffolding to build on: a set of files, tools, and configuration adapted to every kind of website and app (what is called a generator in Yeoman lingo). The CartoDB Generator will let you start your project with the essentials:

A local web server

Files watcher and live reload

JavaScript linting with ESLint

Optionally, a Gist repository is automatically created for your project, which will allow you to showcase your work with no extra steps, using bl.ocks.org for example.

Additionally, the generator will offer you several templates to choose from:

A barebones but working example with CartoDB.js

A template using Bootstrap

And many more to come…

Vizualisation projects are usually relatively small compared to weeks or month long web projects, which is why we don’t often deem it necessary to set up the most advanced tooling. The CartoDB Generator allows you to optionally use the most advanced JavaScript/ES6 and CSS features, using BabelJS and PostCSS.

Want to learn more about building websites and apps with CartoDB? View our Map Academy!